Side bearing for railway-cars



J. F. OCONNOR.

SID-E BEARiNG FUR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATHJN HLED MAY 23, 1919. v

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

1,357,804.- 2 mm ME] I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN is. common, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Assumes. T WILLIAM H. MINER, or GHAZY, NEW YORK.

SIDE BEARING FOR RAlLwAY CAns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 23, 1919. Serial No. 299,279.

To an win/m at may concern.

Be it known that I,-JoHx F. OCoNNon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (00k and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Side Bearings for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings. forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in side bearings for railway cars.

()ncobject of my invention is to provide a simple self-centering side bearing. Other objects will appear from the description of my invention hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification. Figure 1 is a transverse sec tion of the holsters of a car showing my improved side bearing attached thereto, the side bearing being illustrated in longitudinal. vertical section and partly in end elevation. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal, sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate modificatious,--Fig l'sliowing the modified form in vertical, longitudinal section, and Fig. 5 being a cross-sectional view taken on line of Fig. 4.

lhd'orring to the drawings, and first dc scribing thc cmlmdimcnt of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the numeral I indicates a body holster and I] a truck holster of a railway car. in the particular :ulaptation of my invention shown. the side bearing is secured to the truck bolster and comprises a base member [2 open at its upper end 13 and preferably open at l|\ lower end l -l forming a substantially l'l't'tnlllfillill box providcd with the lug If through which are passed the riveting m ans 16 to secure the base mcmbor to the tru k bol ter ll. base block 17 rests within lhc basinicniher and upon thetrnck bolster the aid block having a flat upper fagg i5 m1 being provided with a cored out: undgr face as indicated at iii--19. A wuer plaic 3 res-t upon the base block. the Stud pls 'h'l:di!1;j at its ends into the apertures Zral provided in the end walls o! the lDBQo nwmbcr. the said wear plate being uitably Ii rl'orated as :'t 22 2 for th passer": ol' c'dtcrs' to secure it against accldental displacement. Intermediate their ends, the side walls of the base member are internally provided with the recesses 23 in which the counterweights 24 attached to the roller 25 are received.

The roller 25 is of a cylindrical form arof t 1e base member andprovided below its axis with the outstanding counterwei hts 24 which overhang the wear plate an the base block 17. Their position within the recesses 23 of the base member is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Each recess 23 is provided with end Walls 26-26 and the edges of the counterweight 24, as indicated at 27-27, are at the widestportion, as at 28, in close proximity to the end walls 26 of the recess 23. Below this point the edges 27 of each counterweight 24 are inwardly curved as indicated at 29 29 and above said point are inwardly turned, so that in general shape each counterweight is in end view a pentagon, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

lly reason of the location, shape and arrangement of the counterweights, it will be observed that when the roller is in its normal central position, as illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the counterweights hang within the recesses 23, and because of the close proximity of their edges as at 28 to the/ends of the recess 23,

jarring or other disturbing movements will not accidentally move the roller from its central position and at right angles to the axis of the base member, but the same will be kept securely in its normal position except when it is engaged by the bearing face 30 or the opposed bolster ll in the. event of such engagement and movement of the upper bolster, for instance, to the right in respect to the lower bolster, the. roller will roll upon the wear plate 2) and if not disengaged by the upper hearing plate before it has traveled its full rolling movement. in one direction, will be carried to the end of [he basc memhe as indicated by the dotted lines referenced 31 in Fig. l of the drawings.

During this rolling movement to the. right as slniwn in Fig. l. the counterweight will travel upwardly and to the right. its lower left curved edge permitting the upward travel of said face adjacent the wall oi the re 23 and the upper right band edge of Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

rangi ed with its ends adjacent the side walls most learl the counterweight will, because of its con formation, be permitted to travel toward the other end wall of the recess 23 until it will have assumed on the position of the roller just described. the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l of the drawings and referenced 32.

By means of this construction, I have provided a simple and eflicient roller; side hearing which is self-centering through gravity and in which the roller is bound to assume its central position on release of pressure because of the dispositioniind conformation of the counterbalances l and the employment thereof in connection with the recesses 23 in the side walls of the. base member.

In assembling this hearing. the roller is placed in its osition through the lower opening of the base member and is prevented frommpward passage thercthrongh by the to p'walls 33 of the recesses 23, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. hen the wear plate 20 is placcd in position through the openings 21. the base block inserted and all placed upon the bolster and secured thereto. the cutter pins serving, as will appear from Fig. 1 ofthe rawings. to hold the base block as well as the wear plate in their assembled position.

Tn the modification illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. I employ the same principle with a somewhat different construction. it will be understood that the side bearing is mounted similarly to that illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the draw ings and that it performs the same functions.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the numeral 40 indicates a. base member open at the top and partiallv closed at the bottom by the bottom members -il-4l upon whose upper faces are arranged the wear plates 42-42 secured against accidental displacement from the base member by the cotters 4343-. The members 41 and the wear plates 42 are spaced apart forming between them a groove or way 44 within which the. counterweight 45 of the roller 46 depends.

The roller 46 is provided at its ends with the pins 47 which extend into the recesses 48-48 with which the side walls of the base member are provided. the said pins bcing insertible and removable in one position ol the roller through the openings iii-49 formed in the said side walls. 'lhc said roller 46 is of general cylindrical shape with a central portion on either side thereof cut away in thegencral form of a V-shapcd recuss as indicated at 5050. the remaining lower central portion of the roller by rea- Son of this cutting awa) forming with the counterweight 45 a pcntagonal-shaped member very similar in shape and function to the member 2-1 shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The recess within which this member is cated by the numerals 52-52 in Fig. 4 of 4 the drawings, so that in normal position of the parts, the roller is centrally disposed with the counterweight depending in the re cess 44, the walls 51-431 of the recess serv ing to prevent the accidental bodily dis placement of the roller from its central position and the edges of the counterweight and the extension thereof into the roller being so conformed as to permit the rolling of the roller in either direction.

On movement of the roller. as for instance. whcn moved to the right hand end of the base member. it will assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, referenced 53., and the counterweight will assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in said. figure. referenced 54. The upper edge of the V-shaped groove on the side toward which the roller rolls. as for instance. the face 55, will engage the face 5. of the horizontal Wal hereinbefore described, such engagement being simultane ous with the engagement of the roller against the end wall of the base member. thus limiting its endwise movement and permitting the useof a counterweight of such position and weight to positively return the roller to its normal central positii'm and to require it to, register by reason of the necessity of the registration of the counterweight within the recess 44 hereinbcfore deswibed it will be obvious that the principle of my invention maybe variously embodied and by illustrating only two enibialiments thereof. I do not intend to limit myself to these special forms. Also in the claims hereinafter tollowing, it will be obvious that the wear plate which is included as an element some of the claims may be a separate "member as illustrated in the figures of the drawings or ma y be a. part of the base member or of a bolster or may be anything upon which the roller is designed to roll.

I attach particular importance to the form and functions of the counterweights 24 and 45 of the two forms illustrated. Amplify ing somewhat the description heretofore given of these parts. I may add that the contour of the edges 29-29 of the form shown in Fi 1 and the corresponding edges of the ot ier modification, are so designed that, as the roller 25 rolls bodily to either side of normal the space or distance between the mrrcsponding edge 29 and the adjacent vertical wail 26 of the base castin will remain substantially' constant and wit out binding. Stated in another manner, the horizontal distance across the coanterweights 2-1 in any position of the roller Will always approach the width. of the guideways within which said coimterweights travel. In this manner, it is impossible forthe roller to be bodily shifted at any time or to come to rest at any place except its normal position when free from load. The counterweights there fore perform a double function in that they assist the return of the roller to normal position under the influence of gravity and also maintain the proper rclation between the roller and the base casting or retainin r memher 12st all times. By having the si e walls of the gnideways 23 extend vertically and the contours of the counterweights24 correspondingly formed, it is impossible for the countcrwei rhts to ever lodge upon any projection or s ielf, even accidentally, thus insuring the return of the roller to normal at all times and under all conditions.

I claim:

1. In a side bearing for railway cars, in combination: a base member, a wear plate therein, a roller mounted on the wear plate, a pentagonal counterweight attached to said roller, the base memltr having a recess to receive said counterweight.

2. In an anti-friction bearing of the character described the combination with a retaining member adapted to be held in place on a bolster or the like, said retaining memher being provided with a horizontally extending fiat bearing surface; of a roller retained within said member and adapted for bodily rollin r to each side of normal position on said caring surface, said retaining member having a centering guideway there in defined by a pair of horizontally spaced, vertically extending parallel sides; and a combined centering and overbahmring. radially extending element rigid with respect to the roller and normally depending vertically, said centering and merbalancing element being disposed and confined within said guideway during all movements of the roller and adupledto be elevated within. said guideway when the roller i moved to either side of normal, the contour of the edges of said centering and overlmlancing element being so formed that said element is free to move within said gnideway during rolling movement of lhe roller and at the same time the maximum dimension through said element, in any position thereof, taken horizontally and pcrpcndicularly to said vertical sides in a direction transverse to the axis of the roller. will substantially approximate the width. in the same direction, of the guideway. thereby preventing any bodily displacement of the roller.

3. .In an anti-friction bearing of the character dcscribcd. the combilmtion with :1 bollow substantially rectangular retainingmembcr. the inner faces of the'opposed side walls of said member being provided with guide recesses therein; of an anti-friction roller dis )osed within said retaining member, said roller bein provided at each end thereof with a com ined centering and over-balancing section rigid with respect thereto, said sections coiiperatin with said guide recesses to prevent 'odily shifting of the roller while at the same time permittin rolling movement thereof to either side 0 normal position.

4. In an anti-friction bearing of the character described; the combination with a member. the inner aces of the opposed side walls of said member being provided with guide recesses therein; of an anti-friction roller disposed within said retaining member, said roller being provided at each end thereof with a combined centering and overbalancing section rigid with respect thereto,

said sections coiiperating with said guide recesses to prevent bodily shifting of the roller while at the same time permitting rolling movement thereof to either side of normal position, said guide recesses being integrally formed in the said side walls of the retaining member. i

5. In an anti-friction bearing of the charnctcr described, the combination with a hollow substantially rectangular retaining member having vertically extending guide recesses on the inner faces of the opposed side walls thereof; of a senarable base block disposed within said retaining member; and an anti-friction rollerwithin said retaining member, the weight of whichis adapted to be sustained by said base block, said roller ha ring combined centering and over-balancing sections rigid with respect thereto at each end thereof and coiiperating with said guide recesses.

6. In an anti-friction bearing of the character described, the combination with a hollow substantially rectangular base casting having the opposed inner surfaces of the side walls thereof provided with guide recesses, the sides of which extendvertically; of a base block disposed within said retaining member and separable therefrom; a hearing plate mounted within said retaining member and extending horizontally along the top of said base block; and ananti-friction roller within the retaining member ada ptcd to roll on said plate, said roller having combined over-balancing and centering sections integrally formed therewith at each end thereof and cotiperable with said guide recesses.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of May, 1919..

JOHN F. OCONNOR.

hollow substantially rectangular retaining 

